


Courage To Continue

by Geenee27



Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-25 06:34:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13828539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geenee27/pseuds/Geenee27
Summary: Jack Robinson deals with Demons and Monsters and Miss Fisher on one the worst days of his life.





	Courage To Continue

**Author's Note:**

> The prompt for this story is a quote from Miss Fisher's 2018 Monthly Quote Prompt Challenge. 
> 
> Thank you again @Firesign for organizing this writing challenge and kudos to all who participate.

**“I’m not used to being loved. I wouldn’t know what to do.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald**

 

 

Senior Detective Inspector Jack Robinson stepped directly into bright sunlight as he exited the darkened corridors of the Magistrate Court's building, temporarily blinding him and he quickly threw up one hand holding a fedora to shade his eyes. The perfect summer day in Melbourne, azure blue sky, warm breezes was in direct contrast to the slump of his shoulders and the heavy weight of his saddened heart. He lowered his arm, placed the fedora firmly on his head, even tugging it down to shade his face and putting hands in his pockets turned in the direction of his parked motorcar.

  


He felt leaden after the court appearance and his steps reflected that as he laboured to put one foot in front of the other. This was assuredly not a great day day. And on top of everything he was dealing with, he was exhausted. Last night had been virtually sleepless, a result of the anticipation of his most difficult case and the ongoing turmoil of a very emotional murder investigation he and Miss Fisher were working on.

  


Jack had not been forthcoming with her at all as to what was actually going on in his personal life. He was a very private person and the last thing he had wanted to do was share his shame with her. Although the logic of that was something he did not want to look at too closely. If anyone would have understood and been a nonjudgmental source of support, it would have been her. He felt a bit of a coward to be honest, not yet ready to let his barriers down enough to allow her in.

  


He sighed. Regardless of people's myriad of circumstances, divorce was a devastating, gut wrenching place of loss and grief. Even in cases of a fairly amicable agreement to dissolve a marriage, it hurt, it hurt a lot. Compounding the situation was his having to stand up before a judge, a number of lawyers, several court officials, a soon to be ex wife and her family and admit to desertion; it was a humiliation he was having a hard time coming to terms with and had doubts he ever would.

  


Jack felt very raw and could not remember the last time he felt this badly, at least not since the end of the last decade. It felt as if he was taking a large step backwards, digressing towards those truly dreadful years during and immediately after the war. This made him anxious and not a little frustrated too, he had fought so hard to find his footing again after that horrendous time and today he felt like he was barely holding it together again.

  


As he reached his motorcar and extended a hand to unlock the driver's side door, he suddenly remembered he had promised to be somewhere tonight. Miss Fisher was fighting her own demon's at the moment and he had agreed to attend her cousin Guy's engagement party, ostensibly to provide a steady presence and to remind her not to be 'afraid of shadows'. Her demon was a murderous madman who had kidnapped her little sister while a child and this monster continued to haunt her. Evidence pointed to his death in a failed prison break but Miss Fisher felt his shadow still lurking and although Jack had assured her to the best of his ability that she and her family were out of danger, something was disturbing his subconscious as well.

  


He sighed again and climbed into the driver's seat. He would do what he did best, stoically hide whatever he was going through and arrive at the party to support her. In their early acquaintance, Jack had read Miss Fisher as an outwardly strong woman but as they got to know each other better he realized she kept her vulnerability well hidden. He grimaced as he remembered, not for the first time, that first impression of her and what he knew now and was coming to the conclusion that perhaps the two of them had more in common than had been immediately obvious.

  


Jack decided not to return to the station and continued on to his small bungalow in a quiet neighbourhood of North Richmond. He showered and shaved and dressed in his best three piece suit, a dark blue wool, with a crisp white dress shirt and narrow blue and black tie. He carefully pomaded and combed his hair to his satisfaction and peered with approval in the mirror at his neat and professional appearance. No costume for he tonight, he would never want to appear a fool or silly. He might feel wrecked inside at the moment but as always he would present a confident, respectful persona. Especially in the company of Miss Fisher and her family.

  


****************

  


The Inspector looked up at the mansion from his car and took a deep breath; the party was in full swing, interior lights and noise spilling out onto the lawns. He could do this. Phryne was a friend and colleague and he would honour his commitment to be be there.

  


When Jack caught sight of said colleague, dressed like a goddess and swaying towards him in the front foyer of her aunt's house, his heart jumped and the leaden feeling of earlier in the day began to lighten a little. Phryne was resplendent as the Queen of the Nile; a golden winged helmet framed her beautiful black hair and face, a tiny white bandeau covered her petite breasts and not much else, and a long swirling skirt completed the ensemble. Kohl darkened her mischievous, smokey eyes. With a flirtatious tilt of her head and a light touch of her fingers to his lapel, she managed to right the world around him again somewhat and he responded by lowering his head and tilting it slightly to the side so as to throw her that warning glare she always took absolutely no heed of.

  


Indeed, she barged ahead, assuming he would actually wear a costume of her choice. Following her warily up the stairs to the bedroom level of the mansion and the promise of trouble, he studiously practised his no, not going to happen in his head. Whatever costume she had in mind for him, and it was going to be embarrassing no question about it, he was determined she would not steamroll him this time. He was resolved.

  


Jack was horrified to be correct for once when it came to his partner in crime solving. She presented him with a... a... roman solder costume! What on earth was she thinking? Not only would he look ridiculous, he would feel totally emasculated and he pointedly reminded her of that fact with a strumpet's fool analogy.

  


Phryne smirked coyly at his remark, and even as Jack wondered if this day could not get any worse, she started to loosen his tie, undo his waistcoat buttons and hint that one gaudy night was on offer. The heat in the room soared as she hung on to his loosened tie, glanced at his lips and they were both flushed when she looked up to stare into his eyes. Their relationship tilted sideways and he swallowed. Finally, a moment after she realized that this was not a game any more, she noticed his great discomfort and stepped back slightly. Something in his eyes had told her the teasing had gone too far and tonight was not the night for this.

  


She backed off and left him to compose himself. Sashaying towards the bedroom door, she threw him one last knowing smile over her shoulder then sauntered out and closed it behind her. After eyeing the costume again, he collapsed heavily into an armchair and dropped his face to his hands. There was no way he was going to put that costume on, he just couldn't, not today. But how to tell her without letting her down.

  


Suddenly she was back before him, a blue ribbon like her sister's hanging from trembling fingers and a look of horror on her face. Jack straightened and slowly rose from the chair, brow furrowed at the quick change in her demeanour.

 

“Jack....”, she breathed out, terrified, vulnerable, raw. Her monster had resurfaced and she was asking for his help. He may be at a loss as to how to cope with the demons in his life but there was one thing he was sure of. He could support her, be there for her, help her fight the shadows. She needed him in that moment and no one had needed him for a very, very long time.

  


  


  


  


  


  


  


  



End file.
